The invention relates to a roof assembly for a vehicle. More importantly, the present invention relates to mounting the roof assembly in the vehicle.
Roof assemblies for vehicles typically include a frame to be mounted to a fixed roof. The frame can have at least one part that is made of plastic. A separate metal part or insert having a hole is aligned with a hole in the plastic part and used with a nut and bolt fastener to form a rigid connection with the fixed roof. Since the metal part for the nut and bolt connection is a separate loose insert, it is relatively expensive and requires additional assembly operations.
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved open roof construction of the type referred to in the introduction.
Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is a roof assembly for a vehicle having an opening in its fixed roof. The roof assembly comprises a frame to be fixed to the roof. The frame has at least one part that is made of plastic and includes a cover plate covering at least a portion thereof. The frame is fixed to the vehicle roof by a connection fastener, engaging through a passage opening in said plastic part of the frame and through a hole in the cover plate that is extended beyond the passage opening in the plastic part. The hole in the cover plate is in register with the passage opening in the plastic part. The cover plate is made of metal at least in a projecting part surrounding the hole and is shaped to extend through the passage opening in the frame in order to be engaged by the connection fastener. According to the invention the metal part of the cover plate serves as the metal part of the connection and therefore there is no need anymore for a loose separate metal insert part, whereas the connection not only mounts the frame to the fixed roof but also provides for a connection between the cover plate and the frame.
The cover plate may be made completely of metal which has local depressions or other projecting parts surrounding the mounting hole, or may be generally made of plastic with one or more integrated metal inserts surrounding the holes and projecting from the cover plate. According to one embodiment the roof assembly includes an adjustable closure element supported by said frame, as well as an operating mechanism for adjusting said closure element, which operating mechanism includes at least one driving cable guided in a cable guides which is covered with said metal cover plate.